PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria

Armenian president invites his Turkish counterpart to soccer match
2008-07-05 17:58:08 –

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Armenia’s president has invited Turkey’s
leader to Armenia to attend a soccer match between the countries’
national teams.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations and the border between
their countries has been closed for years. That’s because of Turkey’s
objections to Armenian forces’ occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan. Also Armenia has insisted that the deaths of an
estimated 1.5 million ethnic Armenians under Ottoman rule in the early
20th century should be recognized as genocide.

But Turkey will play Armenia in a World Cup qualifier in the Armenia’s
capital on Sept. 6.

The invitation by Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to Turkey’s
Abdulla Gul was announced Saturday. Gul’s office had no immediate
comment.